


Forever In My Heart

by Karenza_hj



Category: Torchwood, Tuck Everlasting - Natalie Babbitt
Genre: F/M, M/M, Romance, Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-15
Updated: 2021-01-26
Packaged: 2021-03-13 01:47:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,397
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28770309
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Karenza_hj/pseuds/Karenza_hj
Summary: The Torchwood team head out to investigate strange happenings in the woods around the town of Treegap, the home of one Jesse Tuck.
Relationships: Jack Harkness/Ianto Jones, Winnie Foster & Jesse Tuck
Comments: 2
Kudos: 4





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Warning: Spoilers for the movie Tuck Everlasting and frequent mentions of past character death.

Time. For some, there's never enough of it, and for others, an hour can feel like an eternity. Yet there are some for who time doesn’t exist.

Our story focusses on two of these such people. The older of which was 51st Century ex- time agent and current leader of Torchwood Three, Captain Jack Harkness; a man who had been given the gift of immortality by an unlikely source, after being killed by the universe’s deadliest foes, the Daleks. Ever since, he had walked the Earth, trying to find the one man who could set things straight. Then one night, he met a special girl, a girl with the gift of sight. She told him it would be 200 years before he would meet the man known as the Doctor. At a loss, he accepted a job with the Torchwood Institute, and had been there ever since.

To him, time, personally, didn’t affect him, but seeing its effects on those around him was like torture. He had been forced to watch countless friends and lovers age and leave him, while he remained exactly the same. Immortality was the reason he was being denied the one thing he wanted more than anything… to share his life with someone he loved. That someone was Ianto Jones, Torchwood’s Archivist. He just wished there was something he could do to stop the inevitable.

Then there was Jesse Tuck; a man who was forever stuck at the age of 17. It had happened nearly 200 years ago, after drinking water from a spring in the woods, beside a little place called Treegap, he, his mother, father and brother Miles had all become immortals. At first, they lived life as normal, believing nothing had changed, but then they realised. It was because of him actually. He had fallen from a tree, sustaining injuries that should’ve killed him, but his body repaired itself.

For Jesse, time didn’t matter either. It was just a word, something that was irrelevant to him. However, occasionally something would remind him of how harsh time could be and make him wish he could turn it back. First, he had to witness his brother lose everything. He watched as Miles fell apart. He hated himself for a while for thinking it, but he hoped that he'd never have to go through that himself. Then, after over eighty years alone, he met the most amazing girl. It was purely by accident, but it was the best thing that ever happened to him. Her name was Winifred Foster. They fell in love, shared every thought and feeling, and leaving her was the hardest thing he had to do, but he had no choice. His Mother had been found guilty of murder and was due to be hanged, something they couldn’t let happen. It would’ve permanently exposed their secret. He had asked Winifred for her aid and she had helped them escape. Before he rode away with his family, he offered her a choice, to drink from the spring and become like them, then he would return for her when it was safe. But, when he returned, she had already died. At that moment, seeing her gravestone, the engraving of ‘Winifred Foster Jackson’ as clear as day, he knew how his brother had felt all those years ago. His heart broke. It was then, instead of leaving and seeking comfort in his family, he decided to return to the ruined house where they had both lived for a while, rebuild it and remember her.

There are some who say time is like a wheel, turning and turning, never stopping, and the woods are the centre, the hub of the wheel. Both Jack and Jesse had heard the saying, but only Jesse believed it, having witnessed it himself, many years ago. 

Our story begins the first week of summer, a strange and breathless time, when accident, or fate, bring lives together. When people are led to do things they’ve never done before…


	2. Chapter 1: An Interesting Case

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Torchwood team head out to investigate strange happenings in the woods around the town of Treegap, the home of one Jesse Tuck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Spoilers for the movie Tuck Everlasting and frequent mentions of past character death.

Treegap was a town that had been there for hundreds of years. It was a place where nothing much happened and very little changed. The families that lived there went back generations, and everyone had tales of old Treegap to tell… Stories of life, love and perseverance: tales of real people and events in the town. However, most of the tales were about the woods. The trees surrounding the town were swamped in mystery, and even a hint of magic. Most was just superstition, ghost stories to scare children at Halloween. But recently the locals who'd been walking past had heard voices, mainly crying, coming from between the trees. Those brave enough had gone searching, but no one and nothing had ever been found. Suddenly, those children’s tales became myths and legends of the ancient forest. People became scared to even go near, something that had never happened before.

That was when the town elders realised they were in desperate need of help, they needed to restore the peace and tranquillity the town used to possess and appease the citizens’ fears. But where could they get help from?

Xxxx

Rain, the bane of Ianto Jones’ life, and unfortunately, unavoidable in Wales. He hated rainy days because it meant that he was forever having to mop the floors of the tourist information centre. At least it kept him busy, unlike the rest of the team who he knew were moping downstairs, bored out of their minds. It had been almost a week since they had anything to do. The rift was behaving, there'd been no weevils to hunt, nothing. He hated to admit it, it wasn’t professional, but he was bored too. He did smile, however, when he thought of his lover downstairs. Jack wasn’t good with too much inactivity. He wondered what his boss was doing now…

Sat in his office Jack Harkness was fed up, he hated being idle. It was driving him insane. He had tried numerous times to get his gorgeous Welshman to come to his office and entertain him, but the man had repeatedly refused. _Annoying workaholic_. He couldn’t really complain, Ianto's dedication was definitely an asset to the team.

He was disturbed by his musings when Gwen Cooper yelled,

“Jack, I think I found something!”

With a thankful smile, he shot out of his office and down to his colleague's desk as fast as he could.

“So what we got?” he asked, leaning over her shoulder. Gwen blushed as she could feel her boss’s breath on her neck. She couldn’t help it, she had wanted the man since she met him. Even though she had Rhys, her long-time partner, she still craved the Captain. _One day he’ll be mine_. With that in mind, she put the biggest smile on her face and replied,

“Suspicious goings on in a forest. The locals keep hearing voices, but have found nothing.”

“Good find Gwen,” Jack beamed, making the woman almost burst with happiness. “Everyone, boardroom now!”

Everyone scrambled to get up and made their way to the room. As he walked, Jack tapped his earpiece to talk to Ianto.

“Ianto Jones, can you please work some coffee magic? We’re meeting in the boardroom.”

“Of course Sir.”

Once they were all gathered together, Jack shared Gwen’s information with the group, showing them all the police reports.

“Surely it’s just ghost stories?” Owen spoke, clearly unconvinced that they should help.

“That may turn out to be the case, but it may be something else, something for us… So, first thing tomorrow, we are all heading off to Treegap.”

Xxxx

Early the next morning, the team loaded the SUV with all the essential gear and set off. Before they’d even turned the first corner, the car was filled with the sound of tapping keys, as Toshiko Sato set to work finding out all she could about Treegap and the stories associated with it. On the opposite side of the car, Gwen was desperate to do the same, but she knew that there wasn’t enough room for the two computers when there was a third person in the back. She wanted to do something so badly, anything to avoid having to talk to the man beside her. She wouldn’t say it out loud, but she really hated him. She knew he was sleeping with Jack, even though the couple tried to be discreet, and felt that he wasn’t good enough for the charismatic Captain.

In the middle seat, Ianto Jones was using his time to contemplate. Firstly, he thought about the Welshwoman beside him, clearly shooting daggers at him. He knew she was jealous, but he didn’t care. He had Jack and he wasn’t going to give him up. Secondly, he thought about Treegap. Unbeknown to the others, Ianto knew first-hand of the stories about the place, having lived there as a child. He didn’t know how to tell them, especially Jack, that he still owned a house there; the house his Grandmother had left him. On its own, owning the house wasn’t the problem, it was what came with it that was. What he was most afraid to tell his boss was that the house owner also owned the surrounding woods… The woods they were about to be investigating.

How was he going to tell them? Where would he start? He had planned for them to stay in his house, telling them all it belonged to a local who was willing to take them in. He knew he should’ve said something, because now he was stuck. All he knew was that he had to set the record straight before they arrived. At least he had a bit of time. They weren’t planning on getting there until tomorrow. As the car trundled on, he knew his available time was getting shorter. He'd have to do it soon. He wasn’t looking forward to it.

Xxxx

Travelling all day was never a good thing when Owen Harper was in your car. At first the medic had demanded to sit in the passenger seat, relegating Ianto to the backseat. Then, after doing his own bit of research, and finding nothing, he started to get fed up and his bad mood started to surface. It started with slight grumbles:

“It’s too hot in here.” or, “I'm hungry. When can we get lunch?”

Next, came the questions about their destination:

“Are we nearly at the hotel yet?”

And lastly, the insults began:

“I hate the countryside! “ or, “Your driving is …!” They never knew what Jack’s driving was, as he would always cut the medic off, just before the, no doubt, expletive, with, “Yes, thank you Owen.”

So when they finally arrived, everyone was relieved to be getting out of the vehicle. They grabbed their gear and headed inside. When they entered, Ianto instantly headed towards the front desk, intending to check them in. The receptionist smiled as she handed over 5 keys. It was clear to the man that she was flirting when she spoke the next line, if her blush was anything to go by,

“Here you are Mr Jones, I hope you enjoy your stay. My name is Rowena; let me know if you need anything, I'm here ‘til 9.”

“Thank you Rowena,” he replied, internally rolling his eyes as she blushed again.

He returned to the group and began handing out keys, to everyone but Jack that is. Sensing the need for the pair to have some privacy, Toshiko said,

“I'm going to go unpack, you two coming?” She began walking away. Taking the hint, Owen followed but, noticing Gwen not getting it added,

“You coming too Gwen?”

Reluctantly, she followed, grumbling about leaving Jack with Ianto.

When they were alone, Jack asked,

“So Mr Jones, where is my key?”

Ianto took out the remaining two keys and looked at his lover, daring himself to ask what he wanted. Noticing his struggle, Jack took one key and said,

“Why don’t you give that one back, we won’t be needing it.”

“Are you sure Sir?”

“Positive. I want you to share with me.”

“Ok… Let me go and take this back, then we can go to _our_ room.”

Xxxx

That night, Jack and Ianto were curled up together , enjoying the quiet. Although neither party had said it out loud, it was undeniable that the couple loved each other very much. As Ianto felt Jack's fingers ghosting over his bare back, he realised that, even if he wanted to, he could never keep anything from this man again; the man he loved, and hoped was right in thinking loved him in return. With a sigh, he accepted he couldn’t really avoid the truth much longer. Jack was giving him a questioning look, so he figured it was now or never…

“I need to tell you something… It’s nothing bad, as such… It’s just; I used to live in Treegap. I still own a house there, and the woods we are investigating.” Ianto sighed again, relieved to finally have got that off his chest. Now he just had to wait for Jack's reaction, and, by the looks of things, he was annoyed; a clue to which being his hand freezing mid-stroke.

Silence echoed around the room as Ianto awaited a response. After what felt like an eternity, Jack spoke,

“You promised me you wouldn’t keep things from me again…”

“And I haven’t, I'm telling you now, aren’t I?”

“There's been plenty of opportunities to inform me of that little fact Ianto Jones, and still you choose to keep it from me. Why?”

“It never came up before and I didn’t know how to tell you when it did. I was surprised ok? Treegap is such an insignificant place, nothing much happened all the time I lived there. Can we please drop this now? I don’t want to fight with you. How about I tell you all about the place where I was born?”

“I’d like that. I'm sorry I yelled, it’s just, I thought you were deliberately keeping things from me again. Thank you for telling me, instead of me having to find out for myself later.” Jack paused and gave Ianto a chaste kiss, before continuing, “Will you tell me about Treegap? I’d love to know more about your life.”

Jack's hand began to gently move again as Ianto regaled Jack with many stories of his childhood home...


End file.
